Flushing apparatus for water-closets and other sanitary



(No Model.)

I 0'. J. McG-ANN. I V FLUSHING APiARATUS FOR WATER OLOSETS AND OTHER SANITARY y APPLIANCES.

Patented Feb; 8, 1887.

Jmm- Owen J -Jf 6 627222 A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OWEN J. McGAN N, F rIrrssURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR WAllER-CLOSETS AND'OTHER SANITARY APPLIANCES.

[SPECIFICATION forming pant of Letters Patent No. 357,218, dated February 8, 1887.

Application filed April 29, 1886. Serial No. 100,524. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, OWEN J. lVICGANN, a' 9 1 citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsiburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Flushing Water-Closets and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in flushing apparatus particularly adapted for washing out sanitary appliances-such as ifwater.-closetsand provided with a service or flushing tank which is supplied from a valved service-pipe and emptied by a siphon dis- ;charge-pipe.

The objects of my improvement are to pro vide for'flushing the water-closet or other arhide to be washed out at regular intervals for tf desired period of time, and, after the supply .lias been cut off and the discharge through the phon discharge-pipe has ceased, to effect'a ipplemental discharge by discharging the ater remaining in the tank and standing. in

the supply-pipe between the tank and the supply-valve, thereby providing for a quick ultimate discharge intothe article to be cleansed of a body of water that shall effect a final wash-out; second, toprovide certain improved details of construction tending to the general efficiency of the apparatus.

In an apparatus embodying the principles of my invention the flow of water from the service or supply pipe to aservice or flushing tank is. established or cut off by a supplyvalve, that may be operated in any suitable way-for example, by any of the methods common in water-closets. Thus, forinstance, it can be controlled by hand or by the position of a hinged seat held down by the weight of the occupant and automatically raised as soon as it is vacated.

Provision is made whereby, when the supply-valve for controlling the fiow'of water to the flushing-tank is open, the water from the latter shall be intermittingly siphoned off and conducted to the watercloset or other sanitary appliance to be flushed, each discharge or flow being established as soon as the water has risen to some determinate height in the tank. As soon, however, as the flow of water from the service-pipe is cut oft the valve of a valved supplemental discharge-pipe connected with the said service or supply pipe is opened, which permits all of the water not previously siphoned off from the tankand also the water remaining in the supply-pipe between the sup-' proved apparatus applied to awater-closet;

Fig. 2. a sectional detail showing more particularly the valve mechanism.

In said drawings, A indicates the flushingtank, that can be open at the top, as herein shown; or, if desired, it can be closed and provided with an suitable construction of airinlet valve. Water is supplied to this tank through the pipe B, that enters theitank and terminates therein at or about the bottom, so

that when said' pipe is used as a discharge instead of a supply pipe all water within thetank may be drawn off.

C denotes the pipe by which water is intermittingly siphoned off from the tank. For

' this purpose the pipe extends up into the tank and has its end portion within the latter bent down, so as to form an inverted-U bend, that serves to provide the two legs of a siphon.

The pipe B is connected both with the service-pipe D and with the water-closet, with which latter the pipe 0 is likewise connected,

a simple and convenient way being to connect both ofthe pipes B and Owith apipe or joint, B, that can havea lateral branch, I), so as to afford a passage leading from both the pipes B A valve, E, is arranged and O 'to the bowl. to open and close communication between the pipe B and the service-pipe, and avalve, E, is arranged to open and close communication between said pipe B and the water-closet or the pipe B, constituting a passage leading to the water-closet or other like appliance. B has at a point below the tank two portsthe one for connecting it with the service-pipe and the other for connecting it with the pipe or passage leading to the bowl or like article that is to be flushed. Said pipe is shown The pipe connected with the bowl of the water-closet or with the article to be flushed by the pipe B and the lateral branch pipe b, that leads from said pipe at a point between the valve E and the tank.

The valves E and E are connected by stems e and e, respectively,=with theopposite ends of an oscillating lever, E", that is secured at about its ends upon an axis or pivot. The lower portion of pipe B is expanded to forma casing, b, of appropriate internal area for the confinement and free operation of the said pivoted lever; or,of course,said expanded portion can be formed by a separate shell or casing. This casing is provided with two lateral necks or couplings, by which it is connected with the service-pipe D and the passage through pipe B. Theneck or coupling b for the service-pipe is constructed to provide a chamber and seat for the valve E, and the neck or coupling b is constructed to provide a like chamber and seat for the valve E.

The axis or spindle E of the oscillating valve-lever is connected with alever, pull-rod, or with the seat of a closet in any convenient way. For example, it can be connected with a lever, F, by arod, F, so that by operating the lever F the double valve can be controlled. No special limitation, however, is herein made to the means for operating the lever E", to which the two valves E and E are connected, since any of the ordinary methods may be used, such as a lever and weight, or lever and pull-rod, or a chain.

The valves are set upon their respective stems so that when the valve E is open to establish a flow of water from the service-pipe to the pipe B the valve E will be closed, so as to cut off communication between the pipe B and the bowl or other article to be flushed, and, conversely, when the valve E is open, the valve E will be closed.

Communication being established between the service-pipe and the pipe B, water will flow into the-tank, and at each period that the water rises to a determinate height within the tank it will be siphoned off through'the medium of pipe 0 and conducted to the bowl through pipes B and 0, thus intermittingly flushing the closet as long as the valve E is open. \Vhen, however, the valve E is closed,

so as to cut off the supply from the servicepipe, and the valve E opened; so as to establish communication between the tank and the closet through the medium of pipe B, all water remaining in the tank will be immediately discharged through pipe B and conducted to the closet, so. as to elfect a final wash-out.

As herein shown, the valve E closes with and opens against the pressure in the servicepipe, while the valve E is held closed against said pressure when the valve E is open.

By adjusting the valves upon their respective spindles the converse of this arrangement can be attained, the valve E, opening with the 6 5 pressure in the service pipe and closing against the same, in which case, when the' valve E is held open with the pressure, the valve E will be closed with the pressure. This is due to placing each valve in a chamber, as shown, the valve in one case being adjusted to seat at the ends of the chambers nearest pipe 13, and in the other case to seat at the ends of the chambers nearest the pipes D and B, respectively.

The service-pipe can be provided with a cock, D, whereby it can be opened or closed or the flow of water regulated, and any suitable means can be devised for locking the valve-controlling device or mechanism, so as to permit a long period of the intermittent flushing process.

Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. In a flushing apparatus, the combination, with a tank, of a valved supply-pipe and a siphon discharge-pipe, both connected with the tank, and a valve supplemental dischargepipe connected with the supply-pipe to provide for a final discharge from the tank and supply-pipe after the supply-valve of the latter has been closed and the valve of the supplemental discharge-pipe has been opened, substantially as described.

2. In a flushing apparatus, the combination, with a tank, of the valved supply-pipe and a siphon discharge-pipe, both connected with the tank, and a valved supplemental dischargepipe connected with the supply-pipe to provide for a final discharge from both the tank and the supply-pipe after the supply-valve of rco the latter has been closed and the valve of the supplemental discharge-pipe has been opened, the valves for the said supply and supplemental discharge pipes being connected with oneanother and operative simultaneously, but adjusted whereby when one valve is opened the other valve shall be closed, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

OWEN J. MCGANN.

Witnesses:

M. J. MCGANN, J. O. CONROY. 

